


A Spiritual Guide

by faithandbuffy



Category: Angel: the Series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: F/F, Leave them in peace, because they deserve a happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-19
Updated: 2016-09-19
Packaged: 2018-08-16 01:33:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8081497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/faithandbuffy/pseuds/faithandbuffy
Summary: Tara is greeted in the afterlife by a certain Higher Power. Can Cordelia help her get a happy ending?





	

“What the-”

The long-haired girl staggered upright. Cordelia had been watching her for almost twenty minutes, and she was finally awake.

“Hey! Don’t worry, you’re safe.” Cordelia grabbed the girl by the arm, to stop her from pushing away, or trying to run.

“Get off me! Where am I?” The girl looked frightened. Cordy sighed: the one’s who didn’t know were the worst. They had so many questions, and had to come to terms with everything before she sent them on their way.

The girl seemed to have gotten over the initial shock and grasped a hold of herself, so Cordy let go of her arm and motioned for her to sit down in the two chairs that were the only pieces of furniture in her ‘office’.

“What’s your name?” she asked.

“T-Tara.” She sounded terrified, poor girl. She was wearing a cute blue top, with a dark red stain on it. She was probably shot, thought Cordelia.

“Hi Tara, my name’s Cordelia.”

“Cordelia, can you tell me where I am?” 

Cordelia had done this part so many times, and she still couldn’t take the look on people’s faces when she told them where they were.

“You are in Chase Condolences, I specialise in informing people of their unfortunate predicaments. I’m afraid that you’re...well, I’m afraid that you’re dead.”

Tara stared at her for a second, before she started to laugh. 

“Dead? Don’t be stupid, I can’t be dead! I’m right here talking to you!” She touched the arm of the chair. “I can feel stuff, I can see! I can see this room...this really bright room…”

She looked back at Cordelia, her face falling.

“Oh my god, I’m...I’m really dead aren’t I?”

“I’m afraid so.” Cordelia said comfortingly. 

“Oh. Okay.” Tara was suddenly awfully calm. Most people freaked out at this point.

“What’s the last thing you remember?” Cordelia asked.

“Um...I’d spent the day with my girlfriend...we’d just got dressed and we were about to do some baking. She made me laugh, and then there was a crack, and her shirt got all splattered with...” She looked down at her shirt and saw the dark red splodge that had spread around her heart. “...blood. Oh god. I got shot didn’t I?”

Cordelia usually didn’t touch the clients, but Tara suddenly looked so distraught that she moved slowly over to her, and gave her a quick hug.

“Yeah. I’m really sorry but I’m afraid you did. I’m a client for the Powers That Be. They’re a force of-”

“Yeah, I know what they are.” she said, waving a hand airily. “They’re the big mojo in the sky that controls all the prophecies, life and death, time, visions, all that stuff.”

Cordelia was thrown. “How do you know that?” She’d never dealt with someone who knew what the Powers were. This girl was different to the others. There was something familiar about her, but Cordy couldn’t put her finger on what it was.

“Me and my group of friends are big on the whole demony stuff.” Tara said. Suddenly she seemed to think of something. “Can I ask you a question?”

It seemed important to her. Cordelia got people in all the time who wanted to check on friends, family, loved ones. Originally, she hadn’t been allowed to do this but, after time, she convinced the Higher Beings to let her set up a system where she could use her powers to find people back on Earth.

“Of course,” Cordelia said, “you can ask me anything!”

“Can I see if my girlfriend is okay?”

“Yes definitely. Tell me her name, and I’ll check for you.”

“Willow Rosenberg.”

Cordelia stopped dead. “Willow- Willow Rosenberg? So, when you say Tara, you mean you’re Tara Maclay?”

“Yes...how did you-?”

“Before I died, I was in the Scoobies! I left for L.A just after high school! They met you right after I went to work for Angel!”

Tara’s brow furrowed. “So you’re Cordelia Chase? But you can’t be! I could have sworn that you were alive at the same time I was!”

“Oh yeah, funny thing about that. When you die, you’re kept in limbo for a few years, until you see someone like me, who helps with understanding. I was brought up early because in life, I was a correspondent for the Powers That Be.”

This is why Willow went all evil, Cordelia remembered, because her girlfriend was killed.

“Can you check on Willow, please?” said Tara sounding anguished, “I have to know if she’s okay.”

Cordelia was heartwarmed. She knew how much Willow cared for Tara, and now she could see why. Tara wasn’t at all concerned about her own death, only about checking if her girlfriend was okay. 

Cordelia used her powers to find the Scoobies. She sighed with relief. “She’s fine! I think that they’ve just finished a fight - a big one too. Buffy’s fine as well, so is Xander, and little Dawn. Faith’s there, I think you met her once, Anya- Oh my god, Anya’s... She’ll be on her way up soon. Also… What?! I can’t seem to locate Sunnydale. It can’t just be gone! I’ll have to look into that.”

Tara was slumped happily in her seat. “Willow’s okay.” she whispered.

“Oh, I’ve just found some information...Willow is now the most powerful witch in the Earthly dimension? Huh, that is some feat.”

She looked back over at Tara and saw that the girl was staring happily into space. Cordelia knew how she felt. She only wanted her friends to be safe and happy. Suddenly an idea struck her. There was something she could do for Willow, that would make her happier than words could describe.

“Hey Tara… you know, now that now I’m one of the Powers That Be, I’m granted certain...leniencies. If you wanted to go back to Willow...well, I could probably arrange that.”

“I’d be with Willow again?” Tara sat up straight, her face hopeful, “Oh but would there be any consequences? Like how Buffy was reborn?”

“Not at all like that. Buffy was brought back by a spell that was broken halfway through by evil bikers, and she had to claw her way out of her own grave. Talk about trauma. But no, you’ll be revived by - on the most part - natural means, so your body will just restore and poof you to how you were before. You’ll wake up next to your grave, most likely.”

“And you can really do that? You can really bring me back to Willow?”

“Of course! As much as I hated to admit it at the time, Willow, Buffy and Xander were my first real friends who liked me for being me. I’d do anything for them. I can grant three rebirths every century. And, if you want, I can also perform a spell so that Willow isn’t too traumatised.”

“NO!” Tara shouted. Cordelia was taken aback. She thought that Tara would have grasped this chance. “Sorry, I just mean- we don’t perform spells on each other. It’s one of our rules. We can work through it without magic.”

Cordelia nodded quickly, understanding. Tara seemed to think of something.

“But Cordelia, you said Sunnydale was gone. Where would my body be exactly?”

“Ah yes, I can find that for you as well. Hang on one second, that will take me longer to locate...aha! There it is! It’s in the same place that Willow is. It looks that she did a spell, before Sunnydale fell, to relocate your grave to Giles’ house in England. I guess they’re staying there for a bit. And that’s where she is now too.”

“That’s my girl.” Tara said quietly. Cordelia smiled: Tara seemed completely and utterly in love with Willow, and it was beautiful to behold. 

“So, if everything’s okay with you, I can send you back right now.” she continued, seeing Tara’s eyes light up at the prospect of seeing her girlfriend again. 

“And you’re sure that you want to waste one of your rebirths on me?”

“Waste? It’s not wasted! I’d do anything for the Scoobies, and from the looks of things, you keep them light hearted. You won’t be immortal obviously, you’ll just go back to human life, and if you die again, it should be from old age. Also, I’m very happy to inform you that if you’d have gone on from here, you would have gone to heaven.”

Tara didn’t even look fazed. “I don’t want heaven. I just want my girl back.”

“Aw that’s cute. Tell the gang I said hey by the way. I miss all of them. And, if they ever need a little help from the Powers That Be, just use the spell in The Book of Halfrengo on page 273. Ask for Chase Condolences, and we can chat or I’ll give you a hand with some stuff.”

Tara gave the biggest smile she had ever given. She was going back!

“I can’t thank you enough Cordelia! I wish I’d have met you in person!” 

“One last thing Tara! I never got to say a proper goodbye to someone. Fred Burkle works at Wolfram and Hart in L.A, tell her- tell her I’m sorry I had to go and that I’ll always be her friend.”

Tara nodded and Cordelia waved as she was pulled away, sucked back to Earth. She loved her job sometimes.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Willow Rosenberg awoke to the sound of crashes from Giles’ garden. It was probably Buffy coming back from patrol, she thought turning over. In this position, Willow could see her clock, which flashed the time at her.

23:37

Strange, she thought getting up, and going to the window, no one’s supposed to be home for another few hours.

She put her hands to the glass and peered out, but there was nobody out there. Then she heard a slight noise behind her. Oh no.

Slowly, she reached into the bag that was on the windowsill, and pulled out a crossbow. Then she turned around, pointing it straight at her adversary.

There was a figure by the door. A woman. It was dark, and Willow’s eyes hadn’t adjusted yet, so she couldn’t see details. The figure was too tall to be Buffy, and Willow didn’t know anyone else that would come round at this time of night.

“Whoever or whatever you are, be warned! It’s dark, I’m tired and I have a crossbow pointed straight at your throat. Also, please leave, I have my driving exam in the morning and I have to be well rested.”

The figure laughed. A beautifully familiar laugh that Willow knew all too well. 

“You haven’t changed a bit, have you Will?”

The figure flicked on the lightswitch, revealing herself. Willow blinked in the sudden light, until her vision suddenly cleared.

“T-Tara?!”

“Hiya!” Tara gave a little wave. 

“But-but how are you-”

“It was amazing Wil! I was up there, about to be sent to heaven, and I met Cordelia- and really Willow, you should have seen her! She was so cool, and she said-”

Willow cut her off, by throwing down the crossbow, and running to embrace her. Tara’s smile could melt a sun, as they were finally - after so very long - reunited.


End file.
